With a grandmother who loved her gardens and would spend a dozen or more hours each week tending them and growing up weeding my mother’s kitchen garden, I love the fresh herbs and vegetables in a farmers market. When I read about fresh herbs and produce in Regency novels, I smile, wondering about they may have harvested.
The garden size varied by the estate, acres even, including hothouses, orchards, and orangeries. It also depended on how many hands were available to tend the gardens so stores and crops would not be lost to neglect or the inability to harvest soon after a frost. They were also varied due to what the house’s occupants favored; even preferred preserves determined for which season a garden was planted. If they chose a spring garden, they might plant strawberries and cherries. A winter garden would mean they could harvest turnips, potatoes, and sweet marjoram. Some items like cabbage, cauliflower, and onions could be planted every season. Finer houses and richer estates would boast of a hothouse or a large conservatory allowing fruits and vegetables unable to grow in the cooler English climes.
The truth is that kitchen gardens were as varied as the houses they were planted around and their occupants. One may not prefer asparagus, yet plant basil and winter spinach. It also depended on whether the kitchen and household enjoyed more fruits for preserves or jams. Perhaps the manor’s occupants wished for herbs to make poultices or healing ointments in the stillroom. Mayhap, it was a balance of all these options. Mint and sage made wonderful scents, yet when harvested, the herbs can be used as healing medicinals and to flavor food. And the teas! Many a mistress had teas made with the ingredients harvested from their gardens. So it would be that those visits between occupants of modest homes would have teas that would taste unique and be as varied as their kitchen gardens. And, for me, aside from the decided lack of caffeine, I would think it quite enjoyable.
Sources for A Garden Most Valuable:
Author Unknown “Regency Dish: The Kitchen Garden” Regency Reader Date Unknown, Regency Dish: The Kitchen Garden – Regency Reader (regrom.com)
Boyle. Laura “Plant a Regency Kitchen Garden” Janeausten.co.uk June 20, 2011, Plant a Regency Kitchen Garden – Jane Austen articles and blog
Vic “Chawton House, A Virtual Visit” Jane Austen’s World February 26, 2012, Chawton House, A Virtual Visit | Jane Austen’s World (janeaustensworld.com)
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